Calm Before the Storm
Xena "So that's why you're here, huh." Sanjo set down his cup of coffee. They had taken the conversation to one of the sitting rooms of the palace. Lana had went with Alia and Mugen on a small tour of the castle. Richard had tagged along for heck of it. All leaving Sanjo alone to discuss things with Xena and Joseph. "Yes, the Royal Guard are all protecting the King's convoy. Most of the Vanguard are out on assignments. It's just a hundred or so palace guards, Alia, and I. Also count in Joseph, Mugen, and Sanosuke." Xena said, crossing her legs. Joseph cleared his throat, " That's the whole of it. Now you and others are here." There was a short silence for a moment. bordering on awkward. "Anyway. What's pulled you to come here, Sanjo-kun? " Xena asked plainly. It was time to get down to the root of the matter. She was not expecting to see him here, at all. His reasons were in question for her. "Basically, don't y'all get the feeling things aren't adding up with this war situation? I mean, Fiore is randomly accused of killing soldiers from Seven and Bosco, and then they send troops near our border." Sanjo remarked, He waited to see if any of them had any to add. "And so?" Joseph interjected. Sanjo sighed, "There were Fiorian soldiers operating outside the border-- we're a neutral nation." Xena stroked her chin, he may of been onto something. "Not to mention, the on duty boder patrol men don't have skills in magic. Yet the corpses had traces of magic on them, or so the reports say. That had been bothering me. Even your dad said things were a bit weird to him. " She said, biting her lip. She figured it was just something to ignore, but things had been a bit strange. Now it begged the question: where was this speculation leading to? "I think a third party initiated this tension for another underhanded objective. It's a possibility, at the very least." Sanjo said. He decided to get to the point. There's always some person out there trying to make a mess of things. He sighed at the very thought out if it. A bit cliche, but history loves to repeat itself. Xena stroked her chin, not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all Thinking it through, it was best to be speculative and cautious instead being ignorant on the matter. She looked over at his highness, Joseph. "I think we should play it smart; run with what Sanjo-kun's saying." Xena said plainly. Joseph laid his hands on the armrests of his chair. This all was starting to make him a bit uneasy. "Better safe then sorry, I suppose." ---- Mugen walked down a impressively decorated corridor. Richard, Alia, and Lana followed in suit. He was giving them a mini tour of the castle, it was a lovely place. Lana was lagging behind the group a tad as Alia and Richard were enganged in some nonsense coversation while occasionally asking Mugen questions here and there. Lana could tell they were testing his patience though. As they passed a side hall, something caught Lana's eye. A beautiful painting from afar. She stopped, the others kept going unaware she had fallen behind. She shrugged, might as well. She walked towards the work of art. It was a beautiful painting. It was a gleaming but battered knight trampling over a demon. She brushwork was lovely, from what Lana could tell. She wasn't a big art person, but this deserved respect. "It's called the Ultimatum of Justice." Lana took a step back as she was caught off guard. She turned to see a relatively short blonde haire young woman, she had about aura about her. This girl was no normal person. The young woman frowned, "Sorry for scaring you. I'm a bit clumsy at times." She said sheepishly. Lana smiled, "It's alright, and you are?" Lana was met by a thumbs up. "I'm Victoria Fiorenza, Princess of Fiore. I guess you're one of Joseph's guests?" Victoria asked, touching her finger to her lip in curiosity. "You could that," Lana remarked, pointed back at painting, "but before, care to tell me about this painting. Ultimatum of what now?" Victoria's face lit up, being helpful was her goal everyday. "Ultimatum of Justice, its' artist is unknown. It depicts the triumph of good over evil, how the latter will always fail. It was said to have been painted a decade or so following the fall of Zeref. " She said. Lana crossed her arms, still analyzing the piece. "So Zeref's fall actually inspired something this beautiful, huh." Victoria waved at Lana. "I never got your name." Lana tunred her attention back to her new company. "I'm Lana, Lana Kaen. Nice to meet you." Lana said, stetching out her hand to shake Victoria's. The Princess complied and they shook hands. Lana had never expected this to happen, but it was an interesting turn of events. Victoria tugged on Lana's overcoat. "Wanna hang out?" Victoria said, smiling widely. Lana smiled softly, "Sure, why not." ---- "So....." Sanjo said akwardly. He and Xena waltzed down a corridor. They had left Joseph alone at his request. Xena sighed, "It's been a long while since we've talked and all you can say is so, kid?" Sanjo had a knack for pisses off some of the woman in his life. Whether it was the sarcasm or just his thing, he'd have to take that up with God whenever the time comes. "Aside from all this war stuff, how's life?" Xena asked, wrapping her arm around Sanjo. The blonde mage pulled away from her grasp. "I'm not a kid anymore don't just do that, damn. " Sanjo moaned, fixing his shirt. Xena smirked slyly, "Oh yes, true, fair enough. You shouldn't think of me like that, we're practically siblings." She remarked. Sanjo sighed, he wasn't gonna even try to deal with this. "Whatever." Sanjo and Xena walked through a pair of double doors into a courtyard. She shrugged, "I'm just saying, calm those male hormones." Xena broke out in laughter as she finished that last statement. This was somewhat nostalgic for the both of them. " You're always so hard to rile up. Calm people, sheesh. " Xena said, grinning. Sanjo simply shook his head, it'd been awhile since they'd done this. "Now that I think about it. Back in the day it Xena and I did mess around alot. She was like a big sister, it's kind of cool being with her again." Sanjo pondered as he trailed behind Xena. She giggled, "What are you daydreaming about?" Xena asked, peering over he shoulder. She noticed the somewhat clueless look on Sanjo face, that and him falling behind in pace kind left the impression that his head was in the clouds at the moment. Suddenly snapped back to reality and he came a hault. Xena stopped as well. She arched an eyebrow, this was strange. "Oi, what's up? Kid?" Sanjo looked around him for a brief moment. Something seemed off, like he had missed something. Then it came to him in flash. "Where the hell is the Zeo?" Sanjo asked, scratching his head. Xena let out a soft sigh, she thought he was going to say something actually important. Frankly, she was mistaken. Clarity Unlike the others, Zeo was not exceptionally keen on "hanging out". For him, it was much easier to just roam the castle. It was funny how several months ago he was their enemy, but now he was an ally, a friend. Even Lana tolerated his presence; he could confidently say they got along pretty well. Zeo was in awe of the grandness of the palace, this really was a symbol of power. Now that he thought about it, Mercurius must of been a symbol of strength and stability to the people of the capital city. He walked past dozens of fine art, art that was strategically placed on the walls of the building's corridors. At first, he was a bit worried the others might worry about his absence but everyone seemed pretty occupied with other things as it stands. "So this is how royalty lives. ''Well, this is where they live." Zeo continued to be lost in his thoughts as he surveyed his surroundings. It was something else for Zeo to be in such a grand setting. Coming from a humble family, he couldn't relate with such a life. Yet after seeing Sanjo's home, he knew his blonde friend was totally used places such as this. He shook his head, last thing he should do is judge people due to their "living standards". The black-haired mage stepped towards the wide windows of the castle. Nice clear skys outside, looked like a lovely day. Zeo's admiration of the lovely weather was cut short as footsteps caught his attention. He glanced back to see a tall man with long messy brown hair and a sword strapped to his waste. They looked at each other for a moment, he had no idea who the man was. It was akward, to be frank. "I'm Sanosuke of the Vanguard, and you are? If you're lost, I guess I can help you out." The man said plainly. Zeo raised his finger steadily, ready to reply. "He's one of Sanjo's friends, Sano." They were startled to see Lana and Victoria. The latter was giggling at the sight of them. Zeo arched an eyebrow curiously, someone was in a good mood. He noticed Lana's halfsmile, looks like things were good on her end. Sanosuke looked back at Zeo in surprise. "Sanjo's nakama, huh?" He remarked, outstretching his hand for a casual shake. "Nice to meet you." Zeo shook the young man's hand firmly. "Likewise." He muttered in reply. Lana saw this as a moment to cut in. "Zeo's not much of a talker, so that's really all you get. " She said, sighing. Sanosuke figured as much and decided to not push for anything more. He turned his attention over to Victoria. "Is there anything you need, Victoria-sama?" Sanosuke asked, bowing in respect to his superior. Victoria giggled, she tapped on his shoulder. "Nothing at--" Suddenly she tripped over her own foot. Luckily, Sanosuke stopped her descent as he caught Victoria by her arms. He gently helped her find her balance. All the while, she was laughing nervously. Lana tilted her head in question. "She really is a clumsy one." She watched in amusement as a blushing Victoria apologized to Sanosuke . He didn't seem too bothered by the whole ordeal. "Oi, so I take it you're part of the Vanguard, Sanosuke?" Lana inquired plainly. Sanosuke flashed her a big smile. "Indeed, Sanosuke Wilkes of the Vanguard at your service!" He stepped towards her casually, "And you are, ma'am?" Lana smirked, this castle was full of interesting people to say the least. "Lana, Lana Kaen," She pointed over to Zeo, "as Victoria said, I'm with him and two other idiots." Victoria giggled at the remark. She flashed a glance at Sanosuke's profile as he was focused on the others. Ignoring the obvious, Lana clapped to get their attention. "So, how about we head back over to where Sanjo and the others were," She requested. The young men nodded in agreement, meanwhile Victoria looked like she was deep in thought. Sanosuke scratched his head, " Something wrong, Victoria-dono?" Victoria's face ''lit ''up, she shuffled over to Lana and grabbed her by the arm. "I almost forgot, there's something I want to show you," She said excitingly. " Go on without us, Sanosuke. I'm gonna show her the view in the high tower." Lana was pulled away as Victoria made her way to a nearby stairwell. Zeo wasn't too sure what had just happened, but at the moment he just wanted to sit down and relax. He felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned to see a smiling Sanosuke. "You heard the princess, I know a shortcut. Let's go." Incoming Cataclysm The sun glared over the entirety of the city of Crocus. Its' rays shone through the windows of the castle. Sanjo stretched his arms as he and Xena entered into the same room from earlier. There sitting was Joseph and the others. He narrowed his eyes at the absence of Lana. "Uh, where'd Lana go?" Sanjo asked plainly. Sanosuke waved to get the blonde mage's attention, "She's with Victoria-dono, headed to the high tower." "Oh, to the observatory then. Well, never mind, " Sanjo said, taking a seat near Richard. "Let's go over the facts, shall we. The King and Queen are out on a diplomatic trip with the entire Royal Guard at their side. On the same token, most of the Vanguard are out on 'intel missions' as Xena told me." The room was dead quiet as they listened in. Joseph rested his cheek on his palm, this wasn't convincing to him. Sanjo cleared his throat as he continued. "Now, the war situation is a step above arbitrary, to be honest. Even the higher ups of the military were confused. Also, the-" Joseph stood up abruptly, cutting Sanjo off. Sanjo gave his friend a questionable look. Joseph sighed, " To be honest, you're running on mostly speculation. And I'm being polite when I say ''mostly." "So you're not convinced or even bothered by this all?" Richard questioned quickly. The Prince looked over at Richard, he figured Sanjo's friends would be on board with him on this no matter what. "You're probably thinking something different, but that's fine. We're not running on much but a few facts and a gut feeling. " Richard said. At the same time, Zeo was sitting with quite a serious look. "If I may, " He interjected, " from my experience, the criminal underworld moves in mysterious ways." Everyone exchanged looks for a moment and then set their eyes on the man of few words. "Way to be Captain Obvious." Xena thought, crossing her legs. Who didn't know that, she thought. " Stirring up trouble could be some sort of distraction for one's real goal. I've had a bad feeling since I got here," Zeo said, clenching his fist. "Distraction?" Alia said. "Now we're really reading into things, no?" She quickly turned to Sanjo. "But why did you all come here? Wouldn't it have been smarter to head to HQ and work from there?" She asked. Sanjo exhaled softly. "My dad probably wouldn't say much, " He replied plainly. " Mostly because he doesn't know much on the situation either and is more focused on securing the borders then investigating based off some weak speculation." Xena nodded in agreement, that sounded just like the Supreme Commander. Sanjo rose from his chair. "We should probably go. I guess it was near pointless coming here, " he said. He turned and walked past the others. "In the end, we were left with just more questions. Let's go, guys." The others rose from their seats and followed Sanjo through the door. All except for Xena, whom was standing in front one of the large windows. "What are you doing?" Joseph asked as he walked up to her. Xena shrugged at the question. "Just thinking, your highness, " She replied. The sun was high in the sky. Looked like a nice time to get out and go for a walk. She sighed as she remembered she had a duty to do, to help protect the castle. Joseph found it best to leave her be, and thus left her to herself. ---- Through the crowded cobblestone streets of Crocus, a white-haired man walked casually. He towered over most around him, but no one seemed to give it a second thought. He looked to each side of himself, people were everywhere. He grumbled to himself as someone accidently bumped into him and just kept on their way. He could smell the scent of fried foods in the air coming from the many food vendors spread about the cityscape. But this peaceful scene would soon be turned upside down. The young man shielded his eyes with his forearm as he looked up to the sunny blue sky. "It's almost time," He thought. He set his eyes on Mercurius in the distance. Despite still being in the city, it was hard to miss from where he was. It was quite the sight; seemed the rumors of its' beauty were very true. Suddenly he felt on bump on his leg. He snapped out of his and lowered his head to find a young child looking back at him. The boy had a nervous look on his face. "Sorry, mister. I was just r-running around, and sorry, " He said nervously. "Watch you're running. Now get lost." At those last words, the boy ran off. Two figures zipped over the rooftops of Crocus, in an orderly fashion. Trailing last of the pair was a young woman with a scythe strapped to her back. Their hair flew wildly in the air as they increased their pace. In the distance was Mercurius, that was their destination. They leaped over ledges with haste. "It's almost time, " They thought in unison. The pigtailed woman looked over the side of the buildings, she could see people just going about their day as if nothing would happen. That was stability, a sense of peace. Something she has never known. Suddenly she came to a halt and looked over the view of central Crocus. "Lilya?" She snapped out of her trance. "Lilya was just observing the city, that's it, Ilya-nee," She said nervously. Ilya cocked an eyebrow. "Well, don't lose sight of our objective," She said, taking off toward the castle. Lilya exhaled softly, things were going to get hectic from here. Quickly, she followed her partner in suit. A young woman weaved her way through the crowds of Crocus. She was shrouded in a fitted brown cloak, with the hood over her head. Her eyes shifted from the left to the right as she surveyed her surroundings. She didn't have time to be stuck behind some dawdling civilians. She looked up to see the royal palace. "They should be pretty close, I should get moving myself, " She thought. Suddenly she vanished in a burst of speed. Startled passer-Byers looked around puzzled. She scaled a building and dashed in the direction of the others. "Vilmos, Ilya, Lilya, the time is now! For Exia, we must not fail." She ripped away her cloak and threw it away, it was none other then Ama. ---- Lana blinked as she stepped into the room. Before her was an incredible view of Crocus. The room Victoria had taken her to had an extremely wide spanning window. "This is an impressive view, " She said. Lana stepped closer towards the window and as she did, the view of Crocus only became grander. "Yup, " Victoria replied, following beside her new friend, "It's the observatory, to be exact." Lana sighed, " Sanjo would love to see this, " She thought. She scratched her head, why was he coming to mind right now? "Do you believe in love, Lana? " Victoria asked suddenly. Lana arched an eyebrow in surpise. "That's a pretty personal question. Kind of sudden, don't you think, your highness? " Victoria took a seat on the window seat on the other side of the room. She curled up her legs so her knees touched her chest. "Just Victoria is fine, no need for titles," Victoria said, sighing. Lana walked over and took a seat next to the princess. "Something on your mind?" She asked. Lana didn't have much wisdom on the subject of love; thus figured she'd play it safe. "Sanosuke, that's who. I haven't told him anything yet though, " the princess replied somberly. "Hmm....so why not take the risk and do it?" Lana asked carefully. Victoria shook her head at the very idea of it. "Royalty cannot be romantically involved with people beneath us. That's just the way of the world." Lana suddenly felt a little tense. She knew nobles like the Vistas were the exception to the rule more then anything else. They thrived with common folk, but she knew damn well that there were still many nobles that distanced themselves from normal people. Lana didn't want to imagine what would happen if Joseph found out about this and it got out of hand. She rested her hand on Victoria's shoulder. "Well, class aside. Do whatever what you want. But given how things are at the moment, I'd say worry about it later, no?" Lana said, smiling. Victoria nodded in agreement. "Yea, alright," Lana remarked. "Lana." The black-haired woman looked back at the princess. Victoria gave her a big smile. "Thanks." Lana returned the gratitude with a small smile. "What did I do?" She thought. ---- Outside the main gate leading to the Palace's entrance, stood a guard station. The guards were doing what they always did, waltz around the cobblstone pavement as they patrolled. They were responsible for clearing all visitors. Repetetive and menial. it wasn't a job anyone wanted. As such, it was usually left to the rookies even in a time like this. The young guard sighed, she wiped the sweat from her brow, The armor she was issued was not made for this type of heat, clearly. She looked over at her partner, he was lost in dreamland. A smile crossed her face, who could blame him. Suddenly a chill went down her spine. Her grip on her spear got tighter, alot tighter. "What was that?" She pondered as she scanned her surroundings. Suddenly a figured descended from above and landed before the two rookies. Startled, they pointed their spears towards the unexpected visitor. "W-who are you?" The young guards stuttered in unison. They watched as the figure stood up slowly. Ama looked at the two, they were obviously weaklings. She clutched the scroll in her hand as she took a few steps back. "Didn't you hear us? Answer us! Who are you?" One of the guards commanded. Ama ignored them; proceeded to open up the scroll and slap on the ground, face up. There was a strange seal on it and was encircled by lines of tiny text. "And so it begins, " Ama thought. She slammed her palm on the seal. "Celestia Barrier, Envelop!" A sphere of blue magical energy emerged from beneath Ama's hand. It expanded at an exponential rate. The two same young guards who were nervously barking commands were now standing in absolute awe. All around Crocus, people watched as a strange sphere expanded over them. In just a few moments, a massive speherical barrier encased the capital city. Ama set her yellow eyes on the two before her. "If you do not resist, you'll live. If not--" She was caught off as the young man came rushing at her with his spear. She simply side stepped left and right, almost rhythmically, as he stabbed at her again and again. She grabbed the very blade of the spear, stopping him in his tracks. "Wrong choice, " She said softly. She stabbed her hand into his gut in the blink of an eye. His partner's eyes widened in shock. She didn't know what to do or what to think. Ama walked past the young woman. It was time to get things moving. She just hoped Vilmos was handeling things as he's supposed to. Near an alleyway, dozens upon dozens of men made their way past Vilmos. None of them looked very friendly. They weren't citizens of the city, far from it. They were Dark Mages, all of them. Vilmos looked side to side as they passed by him with haste. "Hurt one citizen and you know what happens. Focus on the palace. No damn excuses!" Vilmos barked. He looked up as Lily and Ilya descended from the rooftops infront of the men. A devilish grin crossed the white-haired man's face. "Hell yea, the fun starts now. Let's make the boss proud!" ---- Sanjo felt a shiver run down his spine. "Sanjo?" Xena muttered. His eyes shifted towards the windows. "Didn't you guys feel that?" He asked. Richard shrugged at the question. Sanjo walked towards the windows and peered through to a very undesirable surprise. "What the hell?" "Guys, you guys need to look at this. Joseph, there's a barrier erected over the city. I'm not sure how far it goes though...." He trailed off as a messenger came running towards them. A nervous drop of sweat ran down the side of the prince's face. "What's going on?" Joseph asked nervously. Xena observed the barrier, looks like they were in for a troubling day. The messenger panted heavily as he tried to catch his breath. "Sir," He muttered, still relatively out of breath, " the city is under attack! The front gate has been forced open!" Everyone's eyes widened in shock. Sanjo clenched his teeth, he wondered just what on earth was going on. ---- Lana was trying to keep her opinion at bay as Victoria rambled on about the happenings at the castle. For being stuck at one place much of the time, Victoria sure did alot of things. She figured fun is what you make of it. Suddenly the double doors opened. A young man was on one knee. He was trying to catch his breath. Lana arched an eyebrow, perplexed at his suddden appearance. Victoria stood up immediately. "Is something wrong?" She asked, frowning. She noticed his clothing and could immediately tell he was one of the special messengers of the Royal Family. Victoria had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. The young man exhaled as he regaine his composure. Lana stood to her feet, "Well, what's wrong? Speak." For some reason as she watched him look up at him, she got a bad feeling. Akin to how she felt on their way here through the desert. They a woman's intuition is never wrong; is a fearsome thing in its' own way. "Now listen carefully, your highness. You as well, Lana-dono, " He said sternly. He pointed out the window. They turned to follow what he was trying to get across. "Just a few minutes ago, there was an intruder at the main gate. As it turns out, the intruder took out the guards and the gate itself. Also, there is now an enemy barrier over the city, The whole city, it would seem. There's been intel reports of dark mages charging towards the palace." A cold drop of sweat ran down the side of Lana's brow. Off all things to happen, she would of never ever expected this. She could see Victoria's expression turn grim as the messenger concluded his report. "In other words, the city is under siege. We're under attack!" Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Category:Zicoihno Category:Chronicles of a Mage